


Groak

by fstflower



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Cafetería, Fluff, M/M, Mingyu may seem like an asshole but he's actually a ball of fluff, Not Beta Read, One Shot, Sad Wonwoo, a bit of angst, but not for too long, jun is mentioned, meanie au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-05-14 06:56:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14764778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fstflower/pseuds/fstflower
Summary: GROAK (v.) to stare longingly at someone who is eating in the hope that they will ask you to join them.Jeon Wonwoo is the school bad boy so he’s used to being stared at. That is until one day he notices the captain of the football team watching him eat from afar.





	Groak

**Author's Note:**

> Heyy! I wrote this for twitter but after I finished I figured I could post it here too, so there you go! Also, English is not my first language and this is not betaed so I'm sorry in advance for any mistakes made. And, please, if you're not comfortable with reading curse words or violent scenes, be careful. I will put a trigger warning before, but just beware. With that said, I hope you like it!

Jeon Wonwoo is not the way people picture him to be. Everyone believes that because he wears dark clothes and likes being alone, he's some kind of monster no one should speak to. Wonwoo absolutely hates it, but he's learned at a young age not to pay attention to those who don't matter. He won't change the way he is just to please others.

Being the school's "bad boy" has its advantages if you're as shy as Wonwoo is. No one talks to him and he doesn't talk to anyone, so he doesn't have to go through the embarrassment of failing to maintain a normal conversation. However, it also has its disadvantages: everyone stares at him. Wherever he goes, there are at least five people watching and judging his every move. At the begining it was bothersome, being careful not to do anything stupid people could laugh at, but he's already used to it.

He walks through the school halls towards his safe haven, paying no mind to other students. Once he reaches his destiny, he feels his muscles relax. The cafeteria is the only place in the entire school he feels comfortable in. Everyone is busy eating and catching up with their friends so he's free to do whatever he wants without the whole school's eyes on him.

He buys his lunch and sits as far away from everyone as possible, his turn to stare. He's thankful for these moments, he really is. Being uncomfortable in a place you're supposed to be in for the majority of the year is awful. But he can't help but feel this little ball of sadness deep inside of him while he watches everyone else enjoying their time with their friends. He's always wanted someone to spend time with, vent to and have meaningful talks with. He's too shy and awkward to start conversations and everybody else fears him.

Being someone people usually stare at, he knows when a pair of eyes are watching him. Even with his guard down, he can recognise he's the center of someone's attention. He looks up from his food and looks around the room only to surprise himself by finding none other than Kim Mingyu, captain of the football team, looking at him. He manages to make eye contact for about three seconds before the pressure is too much to bear and he returns his gaze to the food in front of him.

Wonwoo has always admired Mingyu. He's not only been the captain of the football team for two years, but he's also incredibly friendly and nice. He has heard nothing but good comments about him and, contrary to what many people may think, he's not vain at all. Whenever he's complimented he blushes and brushes off the comment like he doesn't deserve it. And his smile, oh that smile. He's also one of the few people who doesn't stare at Wonwoo like he's evil which he really appreciates. However, and as much as it pains Wonwoo to say, Mingyu is way out of his league. He's too amazing and captivating to be even wasting a second on watching him, so he doesn't understand the sudden interest. He figures he may have something on his face, so he cleans it with a napkin. That doesn't seem to be the case, though, for he's still watching him.

Wonwoo feels nervous, but not in the same way he felt when he first entered the school and everyone started watching him. This is a nice kind of nervousness, one he's never felt before.

The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch time, and Wonwoo feels that little and pleasant pressure being lifted off his shoulders. Mingyu is talking with his friends again, and everything else is back to the way it usually is.

...

Wonwoo does not expect anything new to happen the following day. After being awake all night thinking about the episode in the cafeteria, he came to the conclusion that Mingyu was just bored out of his mind and found nothing better to do than to get lost in thought, his gaze fixed in what happened to be Wonwoo's direction. He's never done that before so he doesn't see a reason for him to start now.

He makes his way to the cafeteria, exhausted after two intensive hours of economy class, everyone watching him like usually. He's glad that he put his headphones on before leaving the classroom because he's not in the mood for listening to everyone talk awful things about him. There were times he forgot them at home and he had to endure people insulting him from left to right. He hates those days, where he has to hold back his tears and sometimes even skip lunch to go cry in the bathroom because everything is just too much.

Luckily for him, though, this is not one of those days. He reaches his destination, music loud enough to make him deaf, and sits in his usual place. He hasn't had a good morning and he doesn't expect the afternoon to be any better, so he concentrates on the song he's listening to and the sandwich his brother made him this morning in the hopes of distracting his mind.

He's eaten half of his sandwich when he first feels it. Great, he can't believe this is happening here of all places. He looks up after struggling to swallow down the last bite he had taken, and what he finds in front of him is something he could have never imagined.

Mingyu is laying on the floor, orange juice all over his shirt and his food scattered everywhere around him. He looks dumbfounded, and he's not the only one. Mingyu is known for his balance and amazing dodging skills, so seeing him like this is quite a sight. He doesn't seem to have tripped over anything either, which adds to the rarity of the situation. What he really can't explain, however, is the amount of eyes scrutinizing him. He takes off his headphones and is met with complete silence. It's not a normal silence though, it's charged with confusion and shock.

Wonwoo makes eye contact with Mingyu once again, and he seriously tries to hold it this time, but the attempt is quickly thrown down by a voice that brings everyone back to reality.

\- What was that?- Minghao's question works like a switch and in less than a second everybody goes back to what they were doing before, chat filling the room. Wonwoo is still watching Mingyu's interaction with his best friend, their conversation now covered by the noise. Mingyu seems embarrassed by whatever Minghao's saying if his red cheeks and effort to hide them from view are anything to go by.

Wonwoo's eyes follow Mingyu as he shyly gets up and throws the food that fell down on the trash can. After that, he goes to his table and looks down to his lap while everyone jokes about what just happened. He looks so small. Wonwoo feels the urge to go there and hug him, but then he remembers who he is and where he stands in the social scale and the idea of even approaching him seems so distant it may be from a parallel universe.

The rest of lunch time goes on without any more problems. Wonwoo's lost his appetite so he puts his half-eaten sandwich back in his bag and waits for the ring to bell while listening to the music blasting through his headphones. When he feels people moving he figures it's time to go back to class, so he takes his bag and stands up. While doing so his eyes accidentally land on Mingyu who is looking at him yet again. It seems he's not as bold as the last time because just when he notices Wonwoo's gaze, he turns his head back to Minghao awkwardly.

Wonwoo tries to not make a big deal out of it when he feels his eyes back on him while exciting the cafeteria.

...

As days go by, Wonwoo finds himself looking forward to going to school for the first time in what feels like centuries. Lunch time becomes more special than what it was before and it's all thanks to Mingyu. He knows it's silly, but it's not like he can control the way his stomach flips pleasantly every time he thinks about the way Mingyu looks at him. He's never had anyone paying him that much attention in a nice way, and the fact that it's Mingyu out of all people is something Wonwoo hasn't wrapped his mind around yet.

At first, he had thought that it wouldn't last long. The idea that it was all a game and that he was secretely making fun of him crossed his mind. However, after the incident with the juice that notion was discarded and was slowly replaced with the feeling that maybe he was watching him because he really wanted to. Wonwoo doesn't want to get his hopes up, but this whole situation seems like the beginning of something. He's not sure about the nature of that something, but it's definitely building up to it.

It's been three weeks since Mingyu started watching him. Nothing major hapenned, but it's the minor things that count. He sometimes catches the glimpse of a smile on the other's mouth, or feels his cheeks go red when he does something silly without realising and hears Mingyu giggling afterwards. He can also tell he's more confident than before. He's now able to stare back at him for longer than five seconds, and he even smiles from time to time. Mingyu has had a good effect in him, and has made him come out of his shell a bit. So even if their interactions don't mean what Wonwoo wants them to mean, he can at least say he made progress with himself and that's something he will always be grateful to Mingyu for. It's not much, but baby steps are still steps.

He's once again at the cafeteria after an exhausting morning and there's nothing he wants more than sitting alone in his table, waiting for Mingyu to come so they could have their little staring contest. It's almost impossible to believe how much less than twenty minutes with Mingyu can affect his mood in such a positive way.

Thing is, Mingyu never comes. He notices the absence of not only him but his best friend Minghao, and he's sure it's not just him who thinks something is off. The football team is usually the loudest table, but they're oddly quiet today. The air is tense and everyone is whispering, not wanting to call attention to themselves.

***Trigger warning***

The bell rings, but no one moves. Suddenly, the sound of a chair being pushed back has everyone's eyes on one of the football players. Soonyoung stands up and turns around, glaring angrily at Wonwoo who, driven by fear, takes his bag and attempts to leave the place. He's stopped from doing that when his arm is pulled back, his shoulder colliding with Soonyoung's chest. He feels a chill run down his back, and he wants to just go. Soonyoung uses his other hand to guide Wonwoo's ear to his mouth, making sure no one but him will be able to hear what he has to say.

\- You know, I never bought your little act. Everyone else thinks you're a freak, a piece of shit that will beat their asses if they ever spoke to you, but I know better. You're nothing but weak, you have no one. You probably cry every day when you get home.- Wonwoo closes his eyes shut, trying not to break down right there. It hurts. It hurts so bad.- You think you're special? Mingyu pays you a little bit of attention and now you think you can fuck our team over?- He laughs drily and lets off Wonwoo who distances himself from him while trying to catch his breath.- Stay away from him.

With those last words, Wonwoo runs out of the only place that ever gave him comfort and assurance.

...

Wonwoo refrains from going to the cafeteria after that awful episode. He's still really confused as to what he had done to deserve such treatment; he's not the one that started the staring contest so if there's someone Soonyoung should be mad at, it's definitely not him. Alas, that's not how this works and he can't to anything about it.

It's been two weeks since the incident, two weeks of hiding from not only Soonyoung, but also from Mingyu and the entire football team. He's been eating lunch in the bathroom ever since, and he'd be lying if he said that he hasn't cried his heart out because of how humiliating this situation feels. Wonwoo thinks the most frutrating part of it all is the fact that he hasn't done anything wrong. He can't do anything about his shy nature, he can't do anything about the way he looks, it's not his fault he seems intimidating. And he surely has nothing to do with the fact that Mingyu took a sudden interest in him. He feels so powerless and worthless, and he hates every moment of it because he knows he shouldn't think of himself like that but he can't help it.

However, he decides he can't go on living in fear forever. These two weeks of playing hide and seek have exhausted him physically and mentally and he just can't do it anymore. It's time for him to face his fears and stop feeling like shit.

Wonwoo enters the school cafeteria telling himself everything will be okay, repeating it like a mantra in his head until he calms down. It takes him five minutes to find the courage to get in but once he does, he feels a weight being lifted off his shoulders. There's a small group of people loking at him weirdly, after all he's been MIA for the last two weeks; yet there's also a huge amount minding their own business which he's thankful for. He's used to being started at, but that doesn't make it any less nerve-racking.

He walks hurriedly towards his table and sits down silently, trying not to call any more attention to himself than he already has. He's eating with his earphones on, music sounding softly, when he accidentally raises his head and his eyes find Mingyu's surprised ones. He immediately looks away and turns up the volume of the music.

Truth is, he's developed a sort of hatred towards Mingyu. He doesn't put all the blame on him, he wasn't the one who threatened him in front of the entire school, that's purely on Soonyoung; but he's sure he had something to do with it, Soonyoung couldn't have snapped like that without anything triggering it. He may be exaggerating, but he's only trying to protect himself. So when he feels someone sitting in front him, and realizes that that someone is none other than Kim Mingyu, he takes his bag and gets up.

He doesn't manage to make a step when his hand is taken an he's being pulled back by him. A sort of dejà-vu hits him, and fear runs through his back like a cold drop of water. He looks for Soonyoung with scared eyes just to find him being held back by Minghao. He doesn't understand what's going on, but he surey doesn't like it.

His earphones are taken off and he suddenly feels all the tension in the room. His hand is freed of Mingyu's hold and he hides it behind his other one. He takes one step back and finally looks up.

\- What do you want?- It was meant to come forcefully, but sounds weak and pitiful instead.

\- Can we talk? I've been trying to find you but you always run away after class, and then I don't know where to search because it's like you disappear from Earth and- Mingyu interrupts himself and leaves an extremely frustrated sigh.- I just want to apologize.

Wonwoo looks one more time at Soonyoung and shrinks into himself, his cold stare shakes him up and he realizes it'll be best to leave. He doesn't want more problems.

\- I don't think that's a good idea.- Wonwoo whispers but Mingyu lifts his head up and gives him a delicate smile.

\- I'm so sorry Soonyoung treated you the way he did, but I promise that as far as I'm concerned he will not lay a finger on you ever again. Please just hear me out.- Mingyu's eyes are full of remorse and he's one second away from begging. Wonwoo can feel a little spark of hope building up inside of him, maybe everything will truly be okay from now on. He's still wary, he won't let his guard down so easily after everything that's happened, but he's open to give him a chance.

\- Ok, let's talk.

...

Wonwoo doesn't like skipping classes; he hates the feeling of being lost and not knowing what had been done the previous class. However, and while that's not a lie, it's not the entire reason he told Mingyu he wanted to talk after school. Truth is, he's terrified. There's a dark place deep in his mind that still thinks this is all a prank, that Mingyu couldn't have been this interested in him all of a sudden, that there must be something else going on, specially after what happened with Soonyoung. But at the same time there's another part that believes nice things could happen to him, that he's a good person and that someone's finally seeing that. It's like he has his personal angel and demon fighting over his shoulders, confusing him, playing with his feelings and he just wants it all to stop. He's mentally exhausted, this past month has been an emotional rollercoaster he isn't able to get off of and it's absolutely tiring.

The day continues on that note. He doesn't pay much attention in classs because his mind keeps attacking him with unwanted thoughts but besides that, nothing important happens. When the final bell rings, he's quick to get up and head out, wanting to get everything out of his chest before it eats him up. With his newly gained confidence, he meets Mingyu in the entrance. He's laying back on a wall, not minding the crowd of people surrounding him with expectant looks on their faces. Mingyu finds him right after he turned on the corridor, smile instantly lighting up his expression. He extends his hand and shakes it a bit, clearly noticing the shock on Wonwoo's features, his confidence having crumbled down with that simple gesture.

\- Take it.- Mingyu talks so softly and with such gentleness, Wonwoo finds himself calming down. He grabs it and warmth spreads all over his arm. Some people gasp, and with his peripheral vision he can see a few girls covering their mouths with their hands, but none of that matters. He feels safe.

Mingyu begins walking out of the building and he takes that time to pull himself together. He needs to be able to properly speak in order to have a conversation, and he can't do that if every little action Mingyu does makes him shy and unable to form words. It takes him almost two blocks and a lot of inner pep talk to realise he doesn't know where Mingyu's taking him.

\- Where are we going?- Wonwoos's voice startles him, which makes him do a little jump. It's cute.

\- To a park near home, I figured it'll be a peaceful place to talk...but we can totally go somewhere else if you don't like it. I want you to feel comfortable.- He's flustered, which puts him at ease. It feels nice knowing he's not the only one nervous.

\- It's okay.- He smiles at him and Mingyu looks down shyly. It's a nice contrast to the Mingyu he's used to. He's usually confident and easy-going, with the ocasional blushing when he's being complimented. But this is a new side of him, and he's sure there are many more beautiful parts of him to discover. He'd be so happy if he ever got the chance to.

They arrive at the park and sit under the shadow of a tree, their previously intertwined hands now laying on their own laps.

\- Where do you live? My house is two minutes away from here.- Wonwoo's attempt to initiate small talk seems to fail when he sees the look on Mingyu's face.

\- Well...that's part of the reason we're here.

\- I don't understand.- Mingyu scratches his back and sighs.

\- First of all, I want to say I'm really sorry for what Soonyoung did to you. Nothing I could say would erase what you've been through these two weeks, I know that, but I'm sorry. I'm sure this is going to sound like a lame excuse but I had no idea he would do something like that. He's been taken out of the team and he's got detention for a week. It's not enough, I know, he deserves more but it's everything I could do. I'm not expecting you to suddenly forgive me but I just wanted to let you know that I'm deeply, deeply sorry.- He's nevoursly fidgeting with the grass beneath them, his eyes looking down. A single tear falls down Wonwoo's face and he's quick to clean it. It's true that these weeks have been hell, and it'll take time to get over the amount of humiliation he's had to go through; but Mingyu is sincerily ashamed and now that he knows he didn't have anything to do with it, he feels the little apprehension he had fade away.

\- Hey, it's okay. I'm not blaming you. I won't lie, at first I thought you had said something to him, but you explained yourself and I trust you. It's not your fault. Let's both move past it, yeah?- His eyes are shining with unshed tears and Wonwoo feels the urge to hug him. He nods slowly and whispers an almost inaudible "thank you". There's a brief awkward silence, neither of them knowing where to start, but then Wonwoo remembers something.- So...-he clears his throat- what does your house have to do with us being here?

\- Oh...okay, here I go. I moved out a little bit over a month ago. I hadn't lived that far away from here, but my dad wanted a bigger house and he found the perfect one near this park. A few days after we moved, I was walking my dog and saw you reading a book to your grandma. It was so cute, she was watching you like you were the most precious thing and you were smiling and laughing. I had heard stuff about you, awful stuff. I even heard that someone had seen you kicking a kitten once.- Wonwoo winced and started shaking his head, panic spreading all over his body. Mingyu saw this and swiftly took his hands.- Hey, hey, easy. I know you didn't, and I knew it then too, rumors are just rumors. But it was weird, in school you're always quiet and lonely but there you were, happily spending time with your grandma in your own little world. I...-he blushes and hides his face- It sounds creepy now but I sat down and watched you for like fifteen minutes. You were making expressions to go with the characters, I bet you even imitated their voices, and you were so carefree; it was beautiful to watch.

>> After that I started hearing about you everywhere, but the highlight of my day was seeing you in the cafeteria. It made me sad that you were eating alone, I wanted nothing but make you company and get to know you. But, and I'm not proud of this, sitting with you out of the blue would've been weird, not only for you but for my team and the rest of the school too.- Wonwoo sighs at this and Mingyu squeezes his hand.- I started seeing you more around town too, and I kind of developed a crush.- Wonwoo opens his eyes wide, and Mingyu blushes a darker shade of red.- I decided to come out to my team then and most of them took it well but Soonyoung felt personally attacked apparently and did...you know. I also stopped seeing you in the streets, I thought something serious had happened to you. That's why when you finally appeared today in the cafeteria it was like christmas came early.- There's a pregnant pause in which Mingyu mentally prepares himself to what he's about to say.

>> I like you, Wonwoo, a lot. I belive you're a beautiful person and I'd like to get to know you, the real you, if you let me.

Wonwoo is speechless, he can't believe Mingyu out of all people is telling him all of this. He's got to be the luckiest person on Earth.

\- So?- Mingyu asks anxiously after the long silence.

\- I like you too.

...

Life after that changed drastically, not only for Wonwoo and Mingyu, but for the whole school too. The stares have finally stopped, and although it's sad that they did just because Wonwoo is now dating the captain of the football team and not because people have realised how wrong it was, Wonwoo welcomes it with open arms. Being able to walk around the halls without worrying about doing something dumb or funny and being laughed at is priceless for him.

However, Soonyoung hasn't changed at all. He still thinks Mingyu and Wonwoo's relationship is wrong, and has implied it several times. Mingyu has had to intervene on repeated ocassions or else Soonyoung would've beaten up Wonwoo. But the encounters are slowly decreasing, and the looks full of hatred are lesseing too. Wonwoo takes what he gets.

He's not sitting alone at the cafeteria anymore either. Ever since the talk, Mingyu has made it his personal mission to make Wonwoo feel loved and cared for. He's introduced him to his friends on the team and they all seemed to like him. They've apologised countless times for Soonyoung's behaviour and for not stepping in when they should have, but after Wonwoo told them that it wasn't their fault and that they shouldn't dwell too much on it, they made peace with their actions and started treating him a lot more comfortably. He even became close friends with one of them, Junhui, and Mingyu couldn't be happier.

The bad moments haven't stopped though. Wonwoo still sometimes feel like he doesn't deserve what's happening to him, he still overthinks his actions and is scared that everything would suddenly disappear. But then Mingyu shows up with his cute smile and a promise of going to the ice-cream shop, kisses on top of his lips ready to land on Wonwoo's face and things don't seem that bad. He's learning to forgive himself and let himself be loved, and Mingyu is there every step of the way.

\- Would you like to eat with me today?

\- Thought you'd never ask.

**Author's Note:**

> So this is it! I had a fun time writing it and I hope you enjoyed reading it!
> 
> This is my twitter if you wanna follow me there or talk to me, I'm always open: @fstflower


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